Continuing upstream along the ditch, a shallow, weed-choked pond marsh appeared.
This was formed by water accumulating in a deep pit scoured out by mountain floods.
Here grew some wild onions and chives.
Their seeds had been carried by drinking birds, sparsely sprouting among the withered grass. Jiang Zhi didn't dig up the roots, only cutting the leaves to take back for eating.
The mountain walls on both sides gradually grew steeper, draped with thick and thin, dark brown vine-like ropes.
Jiang Zhi knew she had finally found what she needed.
In the southwestern mountain regions, aside from the Sweet Potato Vine, the most common and extensive climbing plant was the Kudzu Vine.
This was also the plant most utilized in people's daily lives.
Kudzu vines could be woven into rattan chairs, beds, and baskets, and could even be made into Kudzu Cloth, the primary fabric for ordinary households.
However, kudzu harvesting mostly occurred in May and June, when the vines were cut before maturity. At that time, the kudzu fibers had lower breakage rates, allowing them to be separated into threads for weaving cloth and making clothes.
Now these kudzu vines had aged and hardened, useful for little besides firewood.
Jiang Zhi smiled bitterly—she was like a dung beetle going hungry, having missed even the chance to find fresh droppings.
If only she had crossed over during summer, when all kinds of food and supplies were available.
Though the kudzu vines were useless now, the kudzu roots below were still good.
The kudzu stem was woody, with thick, tuberous roots. The roots were relatively thick, pale white, covered in fine hairs, with a smooth surface, resembling human arms.
These roots could be ground into flour to make various snacks or directly stewed.
As a plant with both medicinal and edible uses, kudzu root could be eaten and was also an excellent remedy for relieving muscle tension, dispelling wind, and treating fever and diarrhea.
Additionally, boiling Kudzu Flower in water could alleviate alcohol intoxication, particularly effective against vomiting blood, bloody stools, and liver damage caused by excessive drinking. It served as a protective talisman for heavy drinkers at banquets.
However, modern city dwellers would find it somewhat difficult to locate kudzu flowers nowadays.
Naturally, Jiang Zhi wasn't considering issues like sobering up or reducing fever right now. Survival came first, and that meant eating kudzu root.
She used her knife to cut through the kudzu vine network, searching for the main roots below—a task both physically demanding and requiring patience.
Looking at the vines covering the mountains, it was possible they all belonged to a single kudzu plant. She had to find its root system within this vast expanse of vines.
The old kudzu vines were tough and suspended in the air without bearing weight. Each chop caused them to bounce, making Jiang Zhi's arms ache.
For the sake of food, she had to rest intermittently between chopping. By the time she sorted out the main roots from a patch of vines, Jiang Zhi was utterly exhausted.
Seizing the chance to rest, she took out the Cyclobalanopsis Cake and a piece of cooked meat that Qiaoyun had prepared for her when she left in the morning, along with a jar of water.
Originally, people here drank freely from mountain springs when outdoors, but Jiang Zhi, accustomed to modern habits, worried about drinking leeches in the water and preferred to boil water to bring along.
After eating and drinking her fill, regaining some strength, she finally began digging up the kudzu roots.
To support the nutrition for so many vines, the kudzu roots grew deep. Moreover, the soil here was gravelly and yellow, making digging quite laborious.
As she dug, Jiang Zhi picked up broken pieces of kudzu root to eat.
Fresh kudzu root only needed its outer skin peeled off before eating. Initially somewhat bitter, it grew sweeter the more she chewed, and most importantly, it promoted saliva production and quenched thirst.
By the time Jiang Zhi dug out over two hundred jin of kudzu roots, the sky was gradually darkening—she had been out for an entire day.
The kudzu roots were dug up, but how to carry them back became the next challenge.
The original body was accustomed to heavy labor, possessing considerable strength. Carrying eighty to a hundred catties was routine, but it was impossible to haul away two or three hundred catties of goods in one go.
Moreover, with only a small back basket, there simply wasn’t enough space.
Jiang Zhi had no choice but to leave the largest main root behind, gathering only some broken fibrous roots to take back.
Even these fibrous roots weighed fifty to sixty catties. As she carried them out of the ditch, she ran into Xu Errui, who was walking while shouting, his face drenched in anxious sweat.
"Mother! Mother!"
"Stop calling like you’re summoning a ghost!" Jiang Zhi responded, mimicking the original body’s tone.
Hearing her reply, Xu Errui rushed over, waving his arms.
Both relieved and complaining, he took the back basket and slung it over his own shoulders, his mouth never stopping: "Mother, how come you’ve been gone all day as soon as you left? Uncle said you came to this ditch and was really worried something might have happened to you, so he told me to hurry over and fetch you."
Jiang Zhi was exhausted after a long day and didn’t feel like engaging with him, but his incessant chatter grated on her nerves. Unable to hold back, she asked, "Er Rui, you never used to talk this much before. What’s gotten into you now?"
Other transmigrators worried about being exposed, but she was a difficult mother, and her son didn’t dare suspect her—instead, he was the one being questioned.
Xu Errui was dumbfounded. He didn’t know why he had become so talkative either.
Clearly, it used to be his mother who did all the talking and scolding. Now that she rarely yelled at him, he had forgotten himself.
Afraid his mother would scold him again, Xu Errui quickened his pace. "It’ll be dark soon. Let’s hurry back!"
Upon returning home, Jiang Zhi realized she truly had come back too late. Xiao Man and Xu Errui had already returned long ago.
These two lads had quite a haul. In Xiao Man’s family shed lay another large pile of charred, blackened small animals that had perished in the mountain fire.
By the light of the fire burning in the center of the shed, Xiaoman's Grandmother was bustling about, gutting, scraping fur, and skinning the animals.
Xiaoman's grandfather was also busy peeling snake skin off a wooden post, with Xiao Man assisting beside him.
As soon as Jiang Zhi returned, Xiao Man immediately came over to show off. "Aunt Jiang, Brother Er Rui and I really made the right choice going out today. Look at this—it’s a huge snake!"
The mountain fire had smoked out snakes hibernating in their burrows, and the two had dug this one out while searching for rabbit holes. Xu Errui had already mentioned it on the way back.
But seeing the snake in person still startled Jiang Zhi.
She often went up the mountains and feared nothing—except creatures covered in legs and those smooth and legless.
After a glance at the snake, she quickly stepped away. "This snake must weigh six or seven catties, right? Could it be a snake demon that has achieved enlightenment?"
Hearing "snake demon," Xiao Man immediately panicked. "Grandpa, this… this…"
Jiang Zhi burst out laughing. "Xiao Man, what are you afraid of? If it was burned to death by the mountain fire, it clearly hadn’t cultivated enough. You’ve done a service by eliminating a menace!"
Xiaoman's grandfather and Xiaoman's Grandmother also laughed. "This child is so gullible. Your Aunt Jiang teases you, and you get scared right away. Later, you’ll get one less bite to eat."
Their laughter spread, filling the entire shed with mirth.
For now, the threat of starvation was absent. Though the mountain fire and roving bandits still loomed like shadows, those determined to survive had to strive for moments of joy—otherwise, they would surely be frightened to death.
Qiaoyun had prepared another stack of soft Cyclobalanopsis Starch pancakes as the main meal, and the meat stewing in the pot was beginning to emit a fragrant aroma.
Jiang Zhi brought out the Kudzu Root she had dug up. "Here’s some Kudzu Root. Quickly cut it up and add it to the stew."
Fresh Kudzu Root, with its brown outer skin scraped off and cut into small pieces, could be stewed with meat or simply boiled in plain water. It wasn’t astringent or sweet, with a texture similar to yam, and it could fill the stomach.
"Oh my, you went to dig Kudzu Root all by yourself? Can… can this be eaten?" Xiaoman's Grandmother asked in surprise.
Everyone in Xu Family Village knew that kudzu vines could be woven into cloth and baskets, but no one had ever eaten the roots.
Could something that looked like tree roots really be eaten?
Jiang Zhi was also surprised. In modern times, kudzu root powder was considered a health supplement, and during famine years, it would naturally be the first choice for staving off hunger.
Xiaoman's Grandmother knew that reed grass roots were edible, so why didn’t she know that kudzu roots could also be eaten? Perhaps it was because kudzu roots looked too much like tree roots.
Still, there was nothing to boast about. Knowing that Cyclobalanopsis acorns and kudzu roots could relieve hunger, and being familiar with many strange and wonderful delicacies, all stemmed from the ancestors enduring countless long and bitter hardships.
For survival, they transformed sorrow into sustenance, and hunger drove them to find ways to eat everything.
If they had started by plundering like those bandit nations, indulging only in pork chops, steaks, and choice cuts of meat, who would have bothered with such things?
Since no one had ever eaten kudzu roots, Jiang Zhi took matters into her own hands. She selected the tenderest fibrous root, scraped off the outer skin, cut it into pieces, and placed it into the pot.